Regulatory Reform

Overview

Regulatory reform considers the enactment of more rules and the modification or repeal of existing rules within the governmental and legal structure. A major justification for regulations in the areas of health, safety, and the environment is to mitigate injuries and negative health effects. But, economic parameters must also be considered, as well as the effectiveness of administrating reforms once they are put in place.

Our group looks at regulations, regulatory agencies, regulatory reform, and deregulation at the national and international levels, while considering the net cost, risk reduction, and lifesaving effects of such regulations using standardized economic estimates.

We are especially interested in the comparison of regulatory activities in different countries and as such have looked into the analytical capacities available to the European Parliament—based on document analysis and expert interviews—in comparison with the U.S. Congress. In relation to this, Dean Graham has testified before both.

Working Research Group

Dean, School of Public and Environmental Affairs

Interests:Government reform, energy and the environment, and the future of the automobile in both developed and developing countries

About the Postdoctoral Fellows

Through the SPEA Postdoctoral Fellows on Regulatory Reform program, up to two full-time fellows will spend 24 months, beginning July 1, 2016 (or September 1, 2016) performing the following duties:

Conduct academic research related to regulatory reform, either reform of a specific program (e.g., a financial market regulation, an energy or environmental regulation, a healthcare regulation) and/or reform of a key feature of the rulemaking process (e.g., risk assessment, cost-benefit analysis, judicial review, public participation, scientific peer review, international harmonization). Reforms should be aimed at making regulation more effective, less intrusive, more economically efficient, and/or less of a deterrent to creativity and innovation. Some of the research shall be undertaken collaboratively with other SPEA faculty; other research shall be undertaken alone by the fellow. Collaboration with graduate students is also encouraged.

Write and publish articles in peer-reviewed journals and present findings at relevant academic and professional conferences.

Testimony at the Committee on Science, Space and Technology, Secret Science Reform Act of 2014, U.S. House of Representatives, Washington, D.C. (February 11, 2014)

Testimony at the Committee on Trade, European Parliament, Brussels, Belgium (October 14, 2013)

Testimony at the OMB-OIRA Oversight Hearing, Committee on the Judiciary, House of Representatives, United States Congress (March 21, 2012)

Testimony at the OMB-OIRA Oversight Hearing, Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, House of Representatives, United States Congress (September 14, 2011)

Testimony on “Cost-Justifying Regulations: Protecting Jobs and the Economy by Presidential and Judicial Review of Costs and Benefits,” Subcommittee on Courts, Commercial and Administrative Law, House Judiciary Committee, U.S. Congress (May 4, 2011)

Presentations

October 10, 2016: China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development, Beijing

Kerry Krutilla, “Theory, Methods and Practices of Benefit Cost Analysis in the United States: A Case Study in PM2.5 Policy Analysis.” Sponsored by the Environmental Defense Fund.

June 22-25, 2016: Annual Conference of the European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, Zurich, Switzerland

Katie Fledderman, David Good, John Graham, and Kerry Krutilla, “The effect of differential fine particle toxicity on the economic evaluation of air pollution regulations”

March 16-18, 2016: Eighth Annual Conference and Meeting of the Society for Benefit-Cost Analysis, Washington, D.C.

Kerry Krutilla, Gabriel Piña, David H. Good, and John D. Graham, “Benefit cost analysis of lifesaving regulations from the department of transportation”